World War 1 Aviation Technology

In 1914 there were only about five thousand airplanes in the world. In the next four years that number had increased to 200,000, that is because it played a great role in the World Wars. The original use of aircraft in war was as observing territories. It was easy to plan an attack if the other side know what their enemies were up to. Then cameras were being carried on the planes to take pictures of the enemy's positions and supplies. Then they arm the pilots with handguns, or rifles, so they could attack the other observation planes of the enemy to prevent them from seeing and photographing the area’s systems below. It wasn't long before machine guns appeared and the age of the Fighter Plane was discovered. “A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed for air-to-air combat against other aircraft, as opposed to bombers and attack aircraft, whose main mission is to attack ground targets”. The fighters from one side would go up looking for the fighters from the other side and intense air combat would take place with many planes

Airplanes resulted in many unnecessary deaths, because of dogfights and being shot down from land. Majority of airmen died due to this and not being equipped with parachutes. Early war planes were used to locate artillery and troops, or as supply lines. The Germans were first to arm their planes with machine guns able to fire forward without damaging the propellers, followed by the Allies. War planes greatly effected battle, adding another dimension to an already deadly encounter resulting in a great number of

Every major conflict the United States of America has fought in has had a defining characteristic that people identify with that era. Some of these identifiable characteristics include the Red Coats of the Revolutionary War and the trench warfare of World War I. World War II also had a defining characteristic. One can make the argument that in World War II that defining characteristic was the use of aviation, most notably the bomber. One of the most iconic bombers of World War II was the B-17 Flying Fortress. This paper will explain what brought about the development of the B-17 and its inception, as well as the B-17’s role in combat and supporting ground troops. Lastly, discussed are the Memphis Belle and Old 666, two notable B-17’s

This investigation will look to see how the advancements of the modern airplane during WW2 helped to shape civil travel today. This investigation will be looking mainly at secondary sources like sources of the planes themselves and histories or company who specialize in the modern aircraft, primary sources will be used only to tell of the handling of the plane themselves. This investigation will look at only airplanes and no other major types of travel. The investigation will not look to major battles or causes of

They help incredibly with traveling overseas or flying long distances. The successful creators of the amazing aircraft were the Wright brothers: Wilbur and Orville. Their miraculous invention placed the world in awe, for no one considered that the idea of flying was possible. The development, used for war and traveling, exists as one of the safest ways of transportation. Thus, airplanes remain as one of the best and most useful inventions in the world.

The only problem with machine guns was that any positions besides in front of the propeller would decrease accuracy. Attaching a gun behind the propellers would hit the blades, effectively downing the aircraft. There were many positions attempted, such as placing the gun over the wing. One German inventor, Anthony Fokker, introduced the synchronisation device. This device controlled the machine gun shots so it would fire only when the propeller blades were not in the bullet trajectory. Once the Allied adopted this technology, the main role of airplanes was changed. New “war planes,” built for the sole purpose of air combat, were being rapidly manufactured. By 1916 it was a common sight to see airplanes in the air, fighting for their country. The role of the airplane had changed from a small fragile aircraft to a strong machine capable of shooting down multiple enemies. As a result, the feeling towards how planes were being used in the war changed drastically throughout the war. The pilots were treated with honour and respect due to how easily they could be shot out of the sky. This however, did not stop recruits for joining the air force. The pilots were called “knights in the sky” by many citizens. During the first few years of the war, the citizens and press were in awe of the pilots and the aircraft. The aircrafts were often seen as a symbol of certain victory when they appeared from under the

The shift from a position of war to a movement of war and how technology affected the transition of war position to war movement will be discussed throughout this essay. This essay will address the aircrafts that were used during World War I and II with the reference to the Battle of Somme which happened in World War I.

The Wright Brothers came into action when they invented the first plane named ¨Flyer.¨ In 1903 the plane took its first flight in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Ever since that day the evolution of planes changed places all around the world. Airplanes became the fastest form of travel. They became an effective tool during the first world war, when they were used as reconnaissance and later in combat. The type of plane that was being used was called the Propeller plane which had a fixed wing. In World War I, planes were mainly used to fly over enemy lines, spy on the enemy, and gather information. During the war, soldiers began strapping bombs and guns to the planes and used them for combat. In World War II, the Germans invented the jet engine and began putting it on their planes. The United States followed them, and created a jet powered aircraft. In the 1950s, rocket engines were created and began being used to put satellites and men into space which began the space

BBC goes on to state”In the early days of war, the aircraft of the RFC were in use daily to monitor the movements of the German Army in France and Belgium. As the benefits of "eyes in the sky" became increasingly evident to both sides, it became obvious that steps would need to be taken to prevent the opposition from gaining a significant advantage.((BBC News).Pilots feed back information about artillery strikes and the movement of enemy troops. Unlike nowadays when pilots are sent out for combat pilots in World War One only experienced combat when the Allies or the Germans happened to cross paths during their reconnaissance. But, as time went on the need for “eyes in the sky” increased and so did the need for the need to be ahead of the enemy and everyone one wanted a way secure and advantage over their enemy. As a result, of this need planes received an advancement in their systems. Engineers made engines that produced a greater amount of power to the aircrafts and other advancements to improve their usability in war. As BBC also states “At first this consisted of little more than pilots taking pot shots at each other with their service revolvers. But as technology improved airframes became more manoeuvrable and engines more powerful and it was soon possible to mount machine guns.”(BBC). Airplane from then on became a necessity for the war do to their multifunctionality. Planes could either gain information on the enemy 's movements or they could go

The history of aerial flight is often looked at from the perspective of the great moments, from the first flight of the Wright Brothers in 1903, to the Battle of Britain, but many less than stellar moments have perhaps shaped the formation of aviation in ways that may have been overlooked. Heavier-than-air flight, as it were, was in its infancy of development in Britain, due to stringent financials and unwilling risk takers. For instance, the Wright Brothers were turned away from England because the Treasury was unwilling to financially back the

complexity of aircraft after the dawn of the jet age brought with it a greater

By the early 1900’s, with the aviation industry just beginning, many enthusiasts experimented with the new concept of flight and quickly began improving the basic concepts of aviation. What was initially intended for hobbyists quickly became a staple for the U.S. Government in support of World War I and later the Post

These and other early flights were headline events, but commercial aviation was very slow to catch on with the general public, most of whom were afraid to ride in the new flying machines. Improvements in aircraft design also were slow. However, with the advent of World War I, the military value of aircraft was quickly recognized and production increased to meet the soaring demand for planes from governments on both sides of the Atlantic. Most significant was the development of more powerful motors, enabling aircraft to reach speeds of up to 130 miles per hour, more than twice the speed of pre-war aircraft. Increased power also made larger aircraft

Traveling, trade, economy, technologies were completely changed after its creation. The world became smaller, and people started to think differently about the world. Two main stories are important for the invention of the aircraft. First, the Wright brothers are known as the creators of the airplane. They are believed to be the inventors of the machine for the most part of the world. The brothers created a prototype that was able fly with the help of a catapult, in other words, the machine could just float. It could not put itself in the by using self-propulsion. The second story is that the creation of the airplane is given to Santos Dumont, a Brazilian citizen that expanded his aircraft studies in France; A man who studied many different types of flying equipment, including the airplane. His prototype, the14 BIS, could fly and handle itself on the air with a gas engine developed to do so. The first airplanes were developed in the beginning of the 20th century right before the World War I in which aircraft was most utilized for observation. With the evolution of the technology, aircraft started to have more utilization so that during the World War II they were very important weapons delivery and bombing the battle fields. Reconnaissance was another function for the aircraft during World War II. Thus, the development of the planes had to be followed by the creation of the airports. In the early days of aviation airports were known as flying

Aviation or Air travel began as far as the 6th century, where the Chinese and the Greek used kites and other primitive measures to attain flying. This industry has gone through some historical developments from “ The dream of flight, the revolutionary period, the military advantage, heroic challenges, the battle for the Skies, the Passenger Jet and the Computer age” (Edmunds, 2012). Historians believe